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PhD Chemistry
The Chemistry PhD programme is focused on a major piece of original research. You will study under the direct supervision of a member of staff, who is an expert in his or her area of specialisation. The department offers a broad range of research themes across physical, organic, inorganic and computational chemistry, specific departmental strengths are listed under research areas below.
Read more on the Chemistry PhD programme
- A 3-year PhD studentship in Novel Wavefunction Theory for Electronic Excitations (D/L: 31/01/2025)
Supervisor: Dr Hugh Burton
Application deadline: 31st January 2025
Interview date: February 2025
Start date: 1st October 2025UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2025. The student will carry out doctoral research within the Molecular Quantum Theory Group led by Dr Hugh Burton at UCL.
Shining light on molecules can promote electrons into excited states, providing energy to catalyse reactions or enable chemical reactions. However, predicting excited states requires complex quantum mechanics that scales exponentially with the number of electrons, meaning that approximate models are vital. At present, we lack methods that can describe excited states with sufficient accuracy and efficiency for predictive simulations of photochemical processes, and new theoretical techniques are urgently required.
In this PhD studentship, you will investigate new wavefunction models for predicting photo-excitations in molecules using high-energy solutions in electronic structure theory. Your research will involve a combination of pen-and-paper theory and computational software development, working towards our long-term vision of accurately and efficiently predicting molecular excited states in chemical bond breaking and open-shell processes. This studentship lies at the intersection of quantum theory and photochemistry, and will provide opportunities to collaborate with our research partners in UCL and elsewhere.
We are a new theoretical chemistry group in the Department of Chemistry starting in January 2025. You can find more details about our research on the group website www.hughburton.com. We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated PhD candidate with a strong background in theoretical and computational chemistry, quantum physics, photochemistry, or a related field. Experience in programming is desirable, though not essential.
Applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor, Dr Hugh Burton, with a degree transcript, motivation letter expressing interest in this studentship, and CV. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed toFahmida Yasmin and Dr Jadranka Butorac at doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.
Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.
- A 4-Year PhD Case-Studentship in entitled ‘From Trash to Takeoff: Sustainable aviation fuel made from municipal solid waste’ (D/L: 11/04/2025)
Supervisors: : Prof Andrew Beale (UCL)
Application deadline: 11/04/2025
Interview date: week commencing 28/04/2025
Start date: 22 September 2025
Location: Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
Subject areas: Catalysts, Characterisation, Imaging, Performance testingThe Studentship
This position is fully funded by a prestigious EPSRC-BP iCASE award awarded to UCL Chemistry. The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL although the project will be carried out at the Research Complex at Harwell on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Close collaboration with BP will also enable time to be spent understanding how the project findings are translated into the field. The studentship will cover tuition fees at the home rate, and an annual stipend of no less than £24500, increasingly annually with inflation (tax free) pro rata in years 1 and 4.The project
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from municipal solid waste (MSW) offers environmental and economic benefits but faces scaling challenges. Fulcrum BioEnergy’s new facility near Reno converts 175,000 tons of MSW annually into 11 million gallons of SAF, using Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS), providing a circular economy solution by diverting waste from landfills. However, questions about the scalability and technical viability of waste-to-SAF technology remain. Ongoing research focuses on optimizing catalysts used in SAF production and in particular, advances in X-ray diffraction techniques have proved powerful in revealing valuable insights into catalyst performance under real operating conditions, enabling a tailoring in catalyst performance for optimal SAF synthesis.
This new project aims to deepen understanding of catalysts, particularly their structure-performance relationship and selectivity toward long-chain alcohols. Using advanced X-ray techniques, we propose to obtain 3D ‘chemical’ images of catalyst pellets, providing insights into how catalysts behave during reactions and particularly to understand the inimical effect of water. Recent enhancements have improved spatial resolution and allowed the study of particles smaller than 3 nm, offering crucial insights into catalyst deactivation, sintering, and start-up conditions, which are critical to scaling SAF production.
The candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated masters degree (MSci, MChem, etc.) or 2:1 minimum BSc plus stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Chemistry or materials science. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good computer skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.Interested candidates should initially contact the UCL supervisor andrew.beale@ucl.ac.uk with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will first be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac or Fahmida Yasmin via doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk
Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU nationals with settled/pre-settled status and those with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. If you do not meet this requirement, please refrain from applying. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.
- A 3.5-year PhD studentship in “Salt Hydrates at High Pressure and Low Temperature: Implications for Icy Moon Explorations” (D/L: 02/02/2025)
Supervisors: Dr Ines Collings (Natural History Museum), Prof. Christoph Salzmann (UCL Chemistry) and Prof. Baptiste Journaux (University of Washington, USA)
Application deadline: 2nd of February 2025
Interview date: shortly after the deadline
Start date: 1st of October 2025The UCL Chemistry Department together with the Natural History Museum and in collaboration with the University of Washington (USA) offers a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2025. The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at the Natural History Museum and at UCL.
The icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, such as Europa, Ganymede, and Enceladus, are thought to contain vast saltwater oceans beneath their icy crusts. The cycle of the salts in solution and in solid form as hydrates are key for shaping the internal structures, compositions and evolutions of these icy worlds, and can play a crucial role in promoting habitable conditions. Several NASA and ESA space probes are currently on their way to various icy moons. This very timely project will investigate water-salt mixtures at the conditions of the icy moons using in-situ single-crystal diffraction and spectroscopy techniques to determine their compositions and properties. The new results will be key with respect to analysing and interpreting the data collected by the various space crafts.
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Physics, Geosciences or related disciplines.
Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisors, Dr Collings (ines.collings@nhm.ac.uk), Prof. Salzmann (c.salzmann@ucl.ac.uk) and Dr Prof. Journaux (bjournau@uw.edu), with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in these projects. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Further information about the supervisors can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ines-collings-9b564882/, https://www.salzmannlab.org and https://ess.uw.edu/people/baptiste-journaux/.
The formal application procedure and documents required can be found at the following link: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/study/postgraduate/phd-opportunities/projects/salt-hydrates-high-pressure-low-temperature.html.Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac or Fahmida Yasmin via doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.
Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU nationals with settled/pre-settled status and those with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. If you do not meet this requirement, please refrain from applying. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.
- A 3-year PhD studentship in Biomaterials/Polymer Self-assembly (D/L: 12/01/2025)
Supervisor: Dr Julia Rho
Application deadline: 12th January 2025
Interview date: January/February 2025
Start date: 1st October 2025UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate starting in October 2025. The student will conduct doctoral research within the Rho Group at UCL.
Our cells are complex systems of interconnected structures and processes that work together to maintain life. Scientists have long been fascinated by how cells coordinate these complex interactions to drive fundamental life processes. By understanding this cellular complexity, we not only gain insight into the mechanisms of life but also unlock possibilities for developing new technologies to mimic or control these processes. Inspired by Nature, researchers have looked to build synthetic cell-like structures to replicate key cellular behaviours. These synthetic systems open doors to advancing therapeutic delivery, enhancing our grasp of biological organisation, and providing innovative tools for biotechnology.
This PhD project will focus on developing self-assembled polymeric nanoparticles that mimic complex cellular behaviours, optimising them for drug and gene delivery. As part of a broader program within the Rho Group, which focuses on building bio-inspired materials to advance medicine through polymer chemistry, this studentship offers an interdisciplinary and collaborative PhD across several fields (polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, and biomedical engineering).
Please visit our group website for more details about our research: www.rhoresearchgroup.uk
We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated PhD candidate with a strong background in materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, or a related field. Experience in organic chemistry, nanomaterial fabrication, or cell biology techniques is desirable, though not essential. You should have a keen interest in interdisciplinary research and be excited about working at the intersection of nanotechnology, materials science, and biomedical engineering. The ideal candidate will be eager to contribute to the development of innovative solutions for healthcare and have the drive to push the boundaries of nanomedicine.
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a related discipline.
Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor, Dr Rho (j.rho@ucl.ac.uk), with a degree transcript, motivation letter expressing interest in these projects, and CV. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac or Fahmida Yasmin via doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.
Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.
- A 4-year PhD studentship in The Origin of biological homochirality (D/L: 26/01/2025)
Application deadline: 26th January 2025
Interview date: TBC
Start date: 29th September 2025The UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded four-year studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in September 2025. The student will carry out their doctoral research at UCL.
The successful applicant will work with Dr Daniel Whitaker investigating the emergence of homochiral biomolecules from purely chemical systems, a missing piece of the puzzle of how life began on Earth. A key difference between living and inanimate matter is Darwinian evolution, the capacity to reproduce and survive preferentially in the presence of a selection pressure. Nucleic acids, the information storage polymers of life, are the simplest biological molecules inherently capable of Darwinian evolution and so are key to understanding how life began. The monomers which make up nucleic acids are chiral and, remarkably, nucleic acids are composed entirely of monomers with the same chirality – they are homochiral. Why this should be is an unsolved mystery, which this PhD project will begin to address.
We will discover the ways homochirality is essential for information transfer during nucleic acid replication without macromolecular enzyme catalysts. We will ask whether, controversially, the inherent chemical properties of nucleic acids render biological homochirality inevitable. The successful candidate will gain experience in a wide range of techniques across synthetic and analytical organic chemistry, as well as in development of new methodologies. The highly collaborative nature of the UCL Chemistry Department also provides opportunities to gain more broad chemical experience.
The applicant should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry or a related discipline. Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Whitaker (daniel.whitaker@ucl.ac.uk) with a degree transcript and a letter expressing their interest in this project. Informal inquiries are welcomed to help applicants establish if the project is a good fit for them. Applicants will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. Candidates shortlisted for an interview will be invited no more than four weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac and Fahmida Yasmin at doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.
Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.
- EPSRC DTP funded PhD studentships (D/L:28/01/2025)
Applications are now open for EPSRC DTP-funded studentships in the Chemistry Department, starting on 1st October 2025. The application deadline is 13:00 UK time on 28th January 2025. The application link will become available shortly.
Please review the projects listed below, which are also available through the project catalogue at https://ucl-epsrc-dtp.github.io/2025-26-project-catalogue/departments/ch.... Follow the application guidelines provided at the link: How to Apply for UCL EPSRC DTP Studentships.Bismuth Based Semiconductors for Photocatalytic Applications, project supervisor: Professor Carmalt
Classical-scaling methods for non-adiabatic quantum dynamics, project supervisor: Dr Hele
Electrochemical processes to generate alkyl radicals, project supervisor: Professor Porter
- A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Radiative Cooling Paints (D/L:28/02/2025)
- A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Computational Chemistry and Physics(D/L:15/04/2025)
- A 3-Year PhD Studentship in A Plug-and-Play Enzymatic Platform for the Capture and Upcycling of CO2 to Industrial Commodities (D/L:01/03/2025)
- A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Data-driven analysis of excited states in metal-organic frameworks (D/L:15/04/2025)
- A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Study and Development of Autonomous Wearable Biosensor Powered by an Eco-Friendly Perovskite Solar Cell (D/L:15/04/2025)